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. 2024 Oct 18:12:1468221.
doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2024.1468221. eCollection 2024.

Leisure sedentary time and elevated blood pressure: evidence from the statutory retirement policy

Hao Li  1   2 , Weihong Zeng  1   2
Affiliations

Leisure sedentary time and elevated blood pressure: evidence from the statutory retirement policy

Hao Li et al. Front Public Health. .

Abstract

Objectives: The relationship between sedentary behaviors and elevated blood pressure remains inconclusive, and the socioeconomic mechanisms underlying the linkage are rarely discussed. Since retirement is often associated with behavioral changes that impact health, this study aims to provide evidence on changes in leisure sedentary time after the statutory retirement age on elevated blood pressure, along with the socioeconomic mechanisms.

Methods: We utilized data from five waves (2004-2015) of the China Health and Nutrition Survey (CHNS), focusing on males aged 55-65 employed in the formal sector. Leisure sedentary time, the independent variable, was measured based on self-reported data, while diastolic (DBP) and systolic (SBP) blood pressure were the dependent variables. Using statutory retirement policy as an exogenous variation, we employed a continuous difference-in-differences (DID) framework and a propensity score matching difference-in-differences (PSM-DID) approach to examine the relationship between changes in leisure sedentary time after the statutory retirement age and elevated blood pressure. The analysis was conducted using ordinary least squares (OLS). To address potential endogeneity, we applied the instrumental variable (IV) method via two-stage least squares (2SLS).

Results: Our findings indicate an increase in diastolic blood pressure after statutory retirement, attributed to increased leisure sedentary time. However, there was no significant increase in systolic blood pressure. Moreover, physical activity did not appear to offset this rise in blood pressure, while higher educational attainment and having family members employed in the medical field helped mitigate its negative effects.

Conclusion: This study highlights the potential adverse impact of increased leisure sedentary time on diastolic blood pressure among middle-aged men in the formal sector, while also exploring the socioeconomic factors that may alleviate these effects. These results provide a foundation for public health initiatives aimed at addressing the rising prevalence of sedentary behavior and its association with blood pressure issues.

Keywords: China; diastolic blood pressure; leisure sedentary time; risky health behaviors; statutory retirement policy; systolic blood pressure.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The possibility of retirement and leisure sedentary time before and after law-forced retirement policy.
Figure 2
Figure 2
The changes of diastolic blood pressure and systolic blood pressure before and after law-forced retirement policy.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Results of the balance assumption test & results of the common assumption test.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Event-study analyses of parallel trend tests.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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